Should I boat at Ponce Inlet / New Smyrna, FL today?

Conditions right now

NO-GO as of Oct 23, 11:22 AM ET: wind NNE 16 kt, gusts 19 kt; waves about 7 ft every 12 s. Conditions are rough or hazardous for recreational boats. Stay in.

From the NWS gridded forecast for this launch. The live page adds buoy observations, marine warnings and an hour-by-hour timeline.

About Ponce Inlet / New Smyrna, FL

• Water: Florida Atlantic Coast
• Location: 29.080, -80.930
• NWS marine forecast zone: AMZ550
• Live observations: NDBC 41069

How the wind direction plays here

• Onshore (waves pile up at the launch, often rougher than the open-water number): NNE, NE, ENE, E, ESE
• Offshore (deceptively calm at the ramp, rougher farther out, and it pushes you away from shore): SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW
• Cross-shore (moderate; watch which way it trends): N, SE, SSE, S, NW, NNW

Why direction matters: wind direction and fetch.

Nearby launches on Florida Atlantic Coast

• Port Canaveral / Cocoa Beach, FL (50 mi): NO-GO, wind NNE 14 kt, gusts 16 kt; waves about 6 ft every 5 s
• St. Augustine, FL (60 mi): NO-GO, wind NNE 17 kt, gusts 19 kt; waves about 8 ft every 12 s
• Sebastian Inlet, FL (89 mi): CAUTION, wind NNE 16 kt, gusts 18 kt; waves about 6 ft every 12 s
• Jacksonville / Mayport, FL (95 mi): NO-GO, wind NNE 17 kt, gusts 19 kt; waves about 8 ft every 12 s
• Fort Pierce, FL (118 mi): NO-GO, wind NNE 14 kt, gusts 17 kt; waves about 8 ft every 12 s
• Jupiter Inlet, FL (156 mi): CAUTION, wind NE 14 kt, gusts 17 kt; waves about 6 ft every 12 s